Cardioid
by Rockleerox93
Summary: A drastic mission almost costs Lee his life, but when he wakes up, he finds himself in the body of a girl named Matsuri; the spoiled student that studies under the powerful Kazekage. The journey in which Lee takes to get his body back is a bumpy dramatic one. GaaLee/GaaMatsuri. There are OC's.
1. Mind Swap

"_The jutsu…we can't escape from it. Lee,__ please, this illusion is real. We can't break loose, stop attacking the walls… " _

_"Then how will we escape?"_

_"We must wait for backup…"_

_"How do they plan to get us out of this genjutsu?"_

_"…I can only imagine."_

_The area grew black, and his grip on reality was lost. His commander's face was a blur of eyes and nose swirled together. The space around them was creeping in, suffocating their life force. Lee couldn't see anything, but he made up for it with his sense of touch, pressing his fingers against the advancing walls, they were moving in too quickly. In only an hour, their mission would be a failure, and they would lose their lives to this strange kekkei genkai. _

_A genjutus that could not be broken… how was back up going to fix this mess?_

_Although the jutsu blinded Lee, he was glad his ears still worked. A pounding headache of footsteps marched his way. A small touch to his cheek, and he knew that his squad was saved. _

_"Calm your heart Lee. I can't begin the breaking process until you do." The voice was mousy, not at all confident. It sounded as scared as he felt. Lee nodded and inhaled. He was trying to slow his raging pulse, but before he managed to succeed, a powerful warp in the atmosphere made him gasp for air. He could feel everything within him shutting down, his power system was failing. He was dying. He's been far gone before, but never like this. Death's grip was heavy on his shoulders, black inky fingers clawed around his neck… The smell of sharp chakra shrouded him as his heart beat for the last time. The air rippled, spacing a wide expansion in the dimension, and then stillness. Another burst of overwhelming chakra, and he was gone._

_Lee Rock was dead._

…

…

…

The window light was pleasant… Through sleep drunken eyes he stared blankly at a fancy ceiling fan. He didn't remember Konoha hospitals being luxurious. He sat up weakly, stretching his arms above his head, yawning silently to himself. Lee blinked.

Then he blinked again.

The walls surrounding him were pink. Baby-blush _pink_.

"This is not the hospital…" Lee mumbled, but just as the words left him, his eyes widened. His voice was not his own. It was a mousy squeak, a shy tone that didn't carry past his lips. He swallowed hard…

He had the voice of a girl.

He let his fingers press along his jaw line and throat, both seemingly soft. He glanced down hesitantly and found that his sheets were rose red and smelled of strawberries. He noticed his arms. They were bare and milky, a pale shade he had never been his entire life. The lacerations of past scars at his elbow and wrists were gone. _Gone._ Lee felt a surge of panic raise in his chest. His breath was hot and fast, his pulse bounced around his ribs, sweat beads began to leak out of his pores. He jumped out of his perfumed sheets and raced to the human sized mirror nailed to his door. The instant he came within a yard of his reflection, he was terror stricken. A girl, about 5'3, stared back at him with clear amber eyes, panicked and shifty. Her legs were long and graceful, almost glowing with a pink blush… This girl…wasn't she too old to be in teddy bear underwear? Her shirt wasn't exactly a shirt. It was a canary-yellow tank top. The little lumps protruding from underneath the cloth were no bigger than that of a baby chick egg. She was an A-cup for sure. Pink lips, a finely pointed nose, and nicely arched eyebrows… She was a very cute girl, but…

What was a girl doing in his reflection?

He raised his arm, and the girl in the mirror did the same. He marched his legs in place, and she mimicked. Lee tried to throw sneak moves, bringing one arm up, but then smoothly jutting the opposite hand out, and laying the false one down, but she was not fooled. Her timing was exact, pinpointed and on target. Lee swallowed again, nervous. She wore the same expression.

"Who are you?"

When their lips moved in the same syncopated rhythm of words, he knew this was no trick, and that there was no mimicking girl.

This was his reflection staring back at him, and he, was actually, a _she_.

The door opened suddenly, and a shocked woman who favored himself, began to smile. Her eyes were tear filled and she called down the hall, "She's awake! Matsuri is awake!" And right then, Lee let the shadowed fingers rip his sight away and eat his senses. A hard crash, a scream from the woman, and he was out. A blackout of pain engulfed him.

…

…

…

He had a killer headache. His brain had its own heartbeat. His ears were humming and his vision was hazy. He licked his lips to find them chapped.

Lee felt like absolute crap.

Big onyx eyes stared into Lee's. He would have jumped if he had the sense to, but he was too sore to be active. Keeping his eyes open was proving to be quite the difficulty.

"After six days, you finally wake up," the girl gasped to add effect, "but not only that, you fainted too!" The girl let her smile fall into a sarcastic smirk and added, "It was _awesome_."

Lee sat up on his elbows and squinted at the face in front of him. Another girl? A sister perhaps?

"Your mom was needed at the medical center, she told me to watch out for you." She gave a sly smile, "Thanks to you, I didn't have to meet with my team at the training grounds today. Thank _god_!" The girl rolled her eyes and popped a grape into her mouth. The girl had sleek black hair, all bundled up on one side of her head, braided in one silky ponytail. Her eyes were an electric blue color, and a small studded piercing sat on the tail of her left eyebrow. She was ghostly white, paler than the snow that fell around Lee's house last Christmas.

The girl arched her eyebrows up questioningly, pausing her fingers in mid grab of a grape.

"Matsuri…are you okay?"

Lee sunk back into his perfumed pillow, his eyes still wide and staring at the girl.

"Am I?"

She laughed out loud. Her voice had a deep timbre to it, was she older than him, well, his _current_ body? Instead of being concerned about this female's age, he was curious as to what her name was. But how do you go about asking the name of a friend you were suppose to already know? He was Lee, not this _Matsuri_ girl. What was he suppose to say? Hi, I'm actually a man who woke up this morning in your friend's body? Certainly not that! He looked over at the friend again, this time noticing the glaring headband wrapped around her shoulder. An hourglass was carved right in the middle of that steel plate. The symbol for the village of Sunakagure…

Wait.

Lee threw his covers off and crawled to the window. He peeped past the blinds and let his eyes fall on everything. Sand. Sand houses, sand facilities, sand dunes, sand training grounds. Sand _everything._ Lee quickly turned around, flattening his back against his window pane. He was at a loss for words. He was three days away from Konoha, in a foreign house, in a girl's body.

If he ever woke up from this dream and told the guys back home about it, they'd never believe him.

"Whoa…." Lee looked up at his grape eating friend, and let out another, "Whoa!" And ran to his walk-in closet, jerked the door open, and waltzed in. He ripped skirts, jackets, tank tops, everything he didn't want to wear, off their hangers. He needed something that would cover him up. It was a long journey home, but it's not like he hasn't made the trip before. Almost immediately, his friend was at his back, yanking at his tiny shoulders.

"Are you nuts! What are you doing?"

Lee ripped his arm out of her hand and continued rummaging around for pants.

"I need to get home."

"You _are _home! Stop it, Matsuri!"

Lee whirled around, breathing hard, his brown locks all about his face.

"Stop…"

The friend gave Lee a hurt look, spooked, "…?"

"Stop calling me that!"

"It's your name-"

"No!" Lee tried to fight the friend off of him, but his strength was not with him. It was rather absent actually. Matsuri's body was a weak one. He _hated _it. His seventeen years of training, all gone. The wrist throbbing punches, the grueling finger pushups, the grit bearing duels against Neji, they were all for not. He was Matsuri, a girl that probably hasn't lifted a single weight in the entirety of her life. He felt pathetic.

He stopped struggling with his friend, and gave himself up limply. A jutting pain at his hip and he was down on the carpet flooring, a burn on his chin, and his lip busted. The copper taste in his mouth was familiar and unpleasant. Had he bitten his tongue when he fell? The girl had tackled his waist and flattened him out on the ground. She was currently straddling his shoulders with her knees, and her lips were at his ear. He felt the tail of her braid brush against his nose. He was overwhelmed in strength by a girl who didn't even train today. This was by far the most embarrassing moment of his life. It was even worse than the time he had his pants yanked to his ankles in front of his whole genin class when he was eight.

"Oh…don't cry." The girl rubbed his back soothingly as he hiccupped on the floor, his body bobbing with his loud sobbing. The blood in his mouth, the ache in his hips…this wasn't a dream. This was real. Too _real_. At the moment, he was thankful that his sensei taught him to cry. He cried when he was happy, angry, sad, whatever the emotion. And here he was, crying out of pure fear, hopelessness, and despair, he was really letting the tears rain out of his sockets.

"You had it coming, you know that right?" Lee let out a tear drowning laugh, and so did the girl. They stayed on the carpet of the closet for nearly half an hour until Lee decided he should wash his face. The girl looped his arm around her neck and helped Lee to his feet, dragging him to the bathroom that was down the hallway to the left. Once there, she sat Lee down on the lid of the toilet, and rampaged the sink drawers. She grabbed a few cotton swabs and gauze tape from the medicine cabinet. Lee winced when he saw her drop the alcohol bottle on the sink counter. That was really going to burn… The girl took a breath and steadied herself. She tucked a loose hair behind her ear before dabbing a cotton swab with alcohol. She smiled teasingly at Lee.

"You used to _hate_ alcohol burn."

Lee swallowed, "I still do."

At least he and Matsuri had that in common, but then again, he couldn't imagine anyone who liked the burn of alcohol…

The girl dabbed the swab on Lee's lip and chin. Lee sucked in a hiss and shut his eyes tight. The girl laughed lightly while adding the finishing touches. She took some gauze tape and lathered it on Lee's chin. She told Lee to suck on his bottom lip when the bust gets dry, that way it will become soft and be easy to peel. Lee nodded and got up from the toilet.

"Dude…I'm starving. Anything to eat, Matsu-…ri?" Lee gave her a look, but then let it fall to the floor.

"Forget what I said in the closet. I was…not myself."

The girl rolled her eyes, "That's for sure."

They slowly walked down the stairs. Every now and then he'd steal a look at her, but then decided to just ask what's been bothering him. It wouldn't hurt. His friend already thought he was nuts.

"What is your name?" Lee asked, his stare blank.

The girl stopped walking. After a slight pause, she laughed disbelievingly, "_What__?_"

"Your name…what is it?" Lee repeated, somewhat weary of the anger in his friends tone.

The girl gave him the most hostile stare he'd ever seen. Those electric blue orbs seemed to pierce right into his chest, and stab him right in the heart. She broke eye contact and shrugged her shoulders coldly.

"It's Amane." She quickly shifted her eyes back to Lee and jabbed his shoulder with a fist. "Did your brain dance when you hit your head?" and instead of waiting for a reply, she marched down the rest of the stairs without him.

Lee spotted Amane in the kitchen putting together a sandwich. Amane glanced up at Lee when he approached the side of her counter.

"You look ridiculous."

"Huh?"

"Hello? Isn't it breezy down there with those on?" Amane pointed the thin knife she was using to cut lettuce up with, at Lee's teddy bear underwear. He blushed darkly and turned around to go upstairs and find some sweats, but Amane pulled him back over to her.

"Wait," Amane unzipped her black jacket and held it out for Lee to take, "put it around your waist. No sense in going all the way back upstairs..." Lee smiled and did so. He decided that Amane wasn't as cruel as she let on.

Lee acted casually as he searched for the knife drawer. Matsuri lived here, so he might as well act like he knew his way around just as well as she…had. He joined Amane with a slightly longer knife, and chopped a tomato up in fine heart shaped circles. Amanes chopping grew slower with each piece of lettuce she finished cutting until she finally stopped. She laid her blade down on the wooden chopping board and glanced down with sad eyes.

"You know…you exhausted so much of your chakra during your last mission, that you passed out, and those Konohan's had to carry you back to your house. You've been out of it for _six days _since, and when you finally wake up…" Amane silently let her eyes find Lee's amber one's and let out a soft sigh. "You're like a totally different person. Like…you're so _serious_ and so…not…girly." Lee didn't answer her, just kept chopping. He wasn't ignoring her. He just didn't know how to counter. What was there to say? Even so, Amane kept talking, "I've been your friend since the second grade and you didn't even know my _name. _You didn't even know where you _were._ Just how sick are you, Matsuri?"

"What if I told you…that I am not exactly Matsuri?" Amane gave him a strange look. Lee continued, bringing his hand up to his chest to squeeze at his heart. He down casted his eyes and mumbled, "I think part of me is lost somewhere… But I do not know where that part of me is. Please, do not be angry with me. I cannot explain to you any better than this, so please… No more questions."

"Why not?" Amane asked, feeling somewhat left out.

Lee smiled and answered simply, "I do not have answers to them."

Amane was silent after that, and went back to chopping up lettuce. After all of the preparations were finished, they put their sandwiches together. A mustard and mayo sandwich for Amane with cheddar, ham, lettuce and tomato, and a avocado and wasabi spread for Lee with pepper jack, turkey, lettuce and tomato.

"I thought you hated spicy foods…"Amane said through a mouthful of sandwich. Lee smiled, finishing his last corner piece, "I told you, I am not the same."

Shortly after eating, they washed the chopping board and plates. Lee went back upstairs to pull on a pair of black jogging pants. The pants were made of jogging material, but they weren't exactly pants. They stopped at the middle of his soft calve muscles and hung low in the crotch area. They were fashionable girl Kapri…things. He sighed, at least the underwear was covered, and with the canary top he was wearing, he looked like a honey bee. Yellow and black. He managed a smile. He waltzed out of the closet and headed for the door, but before he put his hand to the knob, he stared at his reflection. Lee's eyes were puffy, his chin was bandaged up, lip was slightly split, but his eyes were fascinated with this strange picture. Lee brought his eyebrows down, kept his amber stare hard and glassy, made his back straight and slipped his slender hands into his low pockets. He made Matsuri look determined, focused and prepared for anything. However, he didn't feel the way Matsuri looked in his reflection, but he would get to that point. He was going to build this scrawny girl up with training. He was going to have the scars, and he was going to be the man he was six days ago. He was going to transform Matsuri into Lee. Lee Rock.

Lee joined Amane once more down stairs. Amane seemed to be in good spirits. She looked ready to talk…talk about girl stuff. As soon as Lee got comfortable in a cream loveseat, Amane began her gossip.

"So…have you changed so much that Gaara doesn't interest you anymore?" Her smile was testing, but Lee tilted his head, puzzled.

"Is he not the Kazekage? I respect him just like everyone else."

"What? Respect? Oh my god…you must be dying if you're talking like that."

"What do you mean?"

"Hello? He's hot."

"…?"

Amane began to laugh, "Every girl likes him…and you are the envy of every girl in Suna right now. Congrats."

"…?"

Amane jumped out of her seat, her mouth agape, her blue stare disbelieving.

"Matsuri…you like him, and you're his only student."

"Um…I guess that makes him a busy man?"

Amane threw her hands up in surrender and shook her head. She fell back into the cream armchair; the chair seemed to suck her up in its cushions… She glared at Lee, and Lee only rubbed the back of his neck. This girl was quite the annoyance. Did she not understand that he knew nothing of this Matsuri girl? Did she not understand that he did not care? He just wanted to get his body back. That's all he wanted. He remembered Amane saying how Matsuri went on a mission six days ago. Something about over exerting her chakra…

"Did the Kazekage send me off on that mission, the one you told me about?"

Amane twirled her braid and gave Lee a look that said 'Who the hell else?'

"I was sent in as back up… I cannot remember what for though…"

"You suck at combat, that's why you're a medic ninja remember? What else would you be needed for other than to heal people…"

Lee glanced at Amane, but wasn't really seeing her. He was back at the cellar with his foreign squad leader waiting on back up. It was so cold there, and the fear of Death stealing away his final breath never left him. That feeling of suspense…that feeling of waiting for a savior. Back up, they were waiting so desperately for back up…was Matsuri part of their back up team?

"Amane? What would you do if you were trapped in a kekkei genkai, a genjutsu that cannot be shaken? How would you break the illusion?" Amane sat up, not so eaten by the couch anymore, and looked at Lee with serious eyes.

"…There's nothing I would be able to do, I would need someone who isn't trapped in the genjutsu to get me out of it." She looked around, as if checking if the coast was clear. "Remember what the elders taught us? It's a forbidden jutsu, but in impossible situations, we're allowed to use it?"

"Use what?"

"The Mind Swap jutsu. The soul and body are too different mediums, and so separating them is like pulling a magnet apart. A soul cannot bring with it years of learned jutsu, physical form or anything. Just itself and its memories. In other words-"

Lee felt the words escape him as he thought the rest of Amane's senario,"A genjutsu cannot follow a mind into another body…"

Amane nodded, and then sat for a still minute, and jumped up again.

"Matsuri…You _didn't_!" Yeah, he didn't, but Matsuri did, and if what Amane explained really happened, then that means that Lee's body was currently inhabited with the dumbfounded soul of Matsuri, but he wasn't about to let Amane know that.

Lee shrugged his shoulders, "I passed out remember?"

Amane shook her head, "Well, as long as you remembered to undo it…"

Lee was more than curious, but didn't show it, "What would happen if I didn't?"

"Your soul will get acquainted and adjust to the new body, and after a week of sitting within a stranger, separating the mediums won't be possible, not for another six months, anyway. But you know better than that I'm sure." Amane smiled at Lee, and Lee smiled at her, but he was vexed. Matsuri did _not_ undo the jutsu because if she had, he wouldn't be her. He was passed out for six days…and here he was, on the seventh day of the Swap, cursed to be Matsuri for six more months.

_Six_.

He couldn't let Amane know who he was. It was none of her business, and anyway, he could wait this out… Maybe he can get clarity off of what Amane said about the Mind Swap Jutsu from an Elder and confirm if there really was no other way to speed up the Swap process. Secondhand ears are never to be trusted.

They sat in heavy silence. Lee was so busy thinking that he missed what Amane said.

"Did you hear me?"

Lee looked at her questioningly.

"I said, what are you going to do tomorrow? You have to go back to the training fields like everyone else. Just because you're the Kazekage's student doesn't mean you can milk your illness forever."

Lee smiled at that, he actually had a real answer to that question, "I plan to train hard. Have you seen my legs? No muscle at _all_." Amane stared at him, "Um…Are you sure you undid the Swap?" Lee gave a fake laugh, and Amane quirked one eyebrow.

"Wow, you hit your head _hard_." Lee was about to respond, but the doorbell rang. Lee vaguely wondered how the Suna inhabitants were able to install doorbells in sand structured homes… He got up to answer it, but when he opened the door, he couldn't form words to say. Not even a, 'Hello'. His courtesy left him stranded at the mouth for a moment, and he completely speechless. Narrowed ocean-green eyes stared into his amber ones. The black rings encased around them intensified the boy's gaze. An artful array of ruby locks was his hair… His soap-cleansed complexion was something to marvel at. This boy… Lee knew him. This was Gaara Sabaku. The boy who destroyed him, but turned around and saved his life too... Yes, this was the great Kazekage. His sensei. But Gaara was no longer a boy, he was a man. A very handsome man… And in the instant of thinking this, Lee felt sick. Maybe being a girl increased his hormones? Whatever was causing his attraction to the Kazekage was beyond him. Lee heard Amane gasp behind him. She was suddenly at his back, her breath on his neck. Was Amane being…shy?

"I heard you were well. I came to see for myself."

Lee couldn't bring himself to say anything, so he gave a curt nod at Gaara's words. He couldn't _breathe _with Gaara standing there in front of him. He even found it difficult to look the man in the eyes. What was wrong with him? Well, whatever his problem was, he was glad when Amane butted in.

"I didn't know the Kazekage made house visits to the sick...in that case, I'm sick too!" Gaara stared down at her and sized her up for good measure.

"You seem well too…if you skip practice again, your sensei will punish you." She scratched the back of her neck and shrunk into the background. Gaara returned his attention to Lee, or rather, his lip and chin. He paid the afflictions a breath of attention and was back to staring in Lee's eyes.

"I will see you tomorrow in the training field."

Lee responded casually, as if a moment ago he hadn't just been tongue tied.

"Tomorrow then."

Gaara nodded at that, and after a pause, quickly shifted his fingers into a blur of hand signs. Sand began to encase his entire being, a swirl of smooth chakra, and he was fading… Lee couldn't let Gaara go yet, he still needed to say something. He didn't want Gaara to think of him as just Matsuri…He would make him see that he would be different, that he wouldn't be like Amane and skip practice, or flirt with him shamelessly like so many others. He wanted to prove to Gaara that he was a warrior, that he would be every bit the man that the redhead was. He would be worthy of the Kazekage's powerful presence, and he would never be tongue tied again.

"Kazekage-sama, I will train hard…I swear." Gaara looked up at him, and the glint that Lee saw in his eyes made him smile. The sand whirled up into the sky, the air rippled, and the chakra flare died. Gaara had transported himself elsewhere, but Lee knew that Gaara heard him, and believed him. Lee shut the door quickly and raced out the back door, Amane struggled to follow behind Lee's quick steps.

"Matsuri? What are you…"

Lee was situated in front of a massive oak tree that was over weight with leaves and acorns. Lee focused all his chakra down into his arms and legs to steady them, he still felt weary from all the bed rest, but he wouldn't let them give out on him, not while he trained. He stretched his palm out in front of his chest, a hand curled at his straight back, and his legs spread slightly apart. The lotus position… He let his fist burst against the bark of the tree. The rawness of the pain, the sharp smell of outside, the power behind his quick jabs…he was Lee. He was himself. The scars would be his to wear once more, and the overwhelming sense of determination would follow him in his wake. He was Lee Rock, not Matsuri of Sunakagure. Amane stared at her friend and knew that who she saw training, was someone else, _something_ else. And she felt empowered…she too wanted to do her best, but couldn't bring herself to join Matsuri. The girl was so focused, determined, and dangerously fascinating, that Amane could only stare. She sat on the patio and watched her friend pound away the ancient oak with all her being, almost until night fall, but Amane had to get sleep. She told Lee she'd see him tomorrow at the practice field. Lee nodded, and continued his training, unaware of the eyes watching him.

Maybe six months of this wouldn't be so bad, but right at the strike of nine o' clock, Lee felt a warm liquid trickle down his leg… It wasn't sweat, and when he lifted his pants leg to see what was dripping, he was glad he wasn't wearing white. He quickly wrapped up for the night and went to the bathroom for obvious reasons, and then fell into a dreamless sleep. Before he proved his worth to Gaara, he'd have to get used to being a girl first… Or really, his Period.


	2. Routine

**Routine: Lee**

He regretted training late yesterday. He hasn't been this sore since the first time Neji beat him up, and _that, _was saying something. Lee wormed his way out of his perfumed sheets. He knew now why they smelled so good, the soap he bathed with last night was strawberry scented.

Lee dragged himself across the carpet flooring, but stopped mid-step in front of the door mirror. He brought his bruised hands to his face and examined them. The bark from the oak tree out back had been rough enough to turn his knuckles purple. Curling them into a fist, Lee smiled. Yes, he was making progress, slowly, but surely. He looked to the window and had to squint at the sun. It was really flaunting its heat today. He'd have to cover up.

Quickly, Lee dressed in simple clothes; a quarter sleeved jacket with a tank top underneath, some baggy cargo pants, and black fingerless gloves. On the way out of his walk-in closet, he spotted a pair of elastic yellow goggles hanging from the doorknob. Lee preferred the color orange, but tugged the eyewear down to his collar anyway. He might need them if the wind picked up.

With a breakfast of just two slices of bread and a glass of milk, Lee was out the door. Upon exiting, he was blinded by a white glare. Lee fanned a gloved hand over his forehead to shield his eyes from the sun's piercing rays. God was it hot!

"Okay, _what_ are you wearing? No skirt for you today?"

Lee smiled at the sound of Amane's deep voice. He didn't know how long she had been waiting, but he was glad he rushed in getting ready.

"But it is a hot morning. I do not understand why you have on a skirt. Look, your skin is already tanning." Lee laughed, pointing at Amane's ruffled forest-green skirt. It was a good four inches above her knees, if she jumped during practice, well, Lee just hoped she had on good biking shorts. How embarrassing would it be to have one's undergarments show? Even his teammate Tenten had the sense to cover up, especially when it was hot. Amane yanked her skirt down with an embarrassed flush on her cheeks. Sapphire eyes narrowing at him.

"…Shut up." she grumbled. Lee smiled while scratching the back of his head.

They made their way to the training field, joking about the heat and appropriate clothing.

The sound of hoarse grunts and calls told Lee and Amane that the sandy training area was approaching. Small black figures could be seen at a distance, hopping and scurrying about, sand whipping about their frames as they sped along the desert flooring. Lee could feel his heart thumping at the excitement of working out. Finally, they arrived. Lee almost did a double take. Amane wasn't the only one wearing a skirt… All the girls roaming the practice field had them on. The scanty length of the skirts bounced on their thighs and crotch.

Everything.

He could see _everything_.

Why such clothing? He looked Amane's outfit over and saw that it wasn't so bad, almost appropriate compared to everyone else's… Quickly enough, Lee discovered that he was the only one fully dressed.

He was brought out of his confusion when a rich voice addressed him, "Matsuri." Lee, still not used to the name, delayed in whipping his head around to see his sensei calling him from two feet away. The Kazekage stood tall in his handsome maroon coat and black desert pants. All the other kunoichi turned at the sound of his voice, their faces flushed in unison.

_Oh_.

No wonder the girls were dressed down.

Lee couldn't help but smile when he parted with Amane and made his way over to the powerful ruler of Suna. Great waves of chakra lay suppressed under Gaara's great control, but the small portion that Lee could sense was dizzying.

Well, dress-wise, Lee wasn't left out anymore.

Ocean eyes studied Lee's figure. Gaara gave an approving nod to Lee's outfit. The Kazekage turned away from Lee and began making his way to the target stands. Lee took that as a sign to follow the redhead. After a good minute, Gaara stopped about six feet in front of a target and faced Lee at last.

"Here." A kunai was pressed into Lee's purple fingers. A _kunai_? Lee glanced at Gaara, and then at the kunai, and then to Gaara again. Lee looked at the throwing projectile, offended.

"What is this? I have no use for it. I plan to train in the Dunes just like everyone else."Lee said confidently, but as he was preparing to take a step toward the Dunes, the sand underneath him shifted, causing him to trip and land on his knees.

"No. Your skills are not yet mature enough for battle."

Lee looked far off into the sandy abyss and noticed a deformed training post made of sand woven clay. He brought his attention to Gaara with an idea gleaming in his eyes.

"If I can hit that clay post from this distance, will you let me fight?"

Gaara studied Lee's eyes hard. He was calculating something… After moments of thought processing, the redhead folded his arms across his chest.

"You may try if you wish."

"And if I can do it?"

"Then I will let you train in the Dunes."

Lee smiled at that. Finally! He would show Gaara he was useful. He clutched the clothed handle of the kunai, twirling it to entertain his sensei's eyes, but Gaara was unfazed. He threw his arm out swiftly, watching as his weapon ripped through the air. A powerful throw it was, for the friction in the air sparked heat from the speed. The kunai's velocity dropped slightly in the middle of its journey and soon after, the speed dropped completely. Finally, it plopped dead in the desert grains a foot away from the clay post. Lee couldn't believe it.

How could he have fallen so short? He'd thrown kunai's millions of times and with great practice, he never missed his targets. What was going on? He could feel himself sweating, and it wasn't because of the sun. Gaara's eyes were upon him now and seemed to be saying, "That's what I thought."

"One more try…" Lee murmured. He threw another kunai, yet, this one landed crookedly at the post's feet. Why did it dive down like that?

"That was a fluke!" Lee laughed off his discomfort. He was so embarrassed! "Okay, this time for real." He threw another kunai. His prediction turned out to be false.

"My arm you see, it was off to the side and…"his explanation died on his lips. The look Gaara was giving him was a smug and questioning one. Lee threw six more kunai, ten shuriken, and then proceeded to throw his small array of simbon. After completely exhausting his weapon pouch, the clay target remained untouched with a silver pallet of weapons glittering at its feet. Never has Lee's wish to disappear been so strong. Gaara stepped into Lee's view and pressed a pack of weapons into his throbbing chest.

"Train." was all his sensei said before dispersing into a cloud of sand. Lee was left to be supervised by the guard captain, Baki. He trained through the hottest part of the day and the coolest of the afternoon. He even passed on the lunch offer Amane made. The sun was setting, and after throwing what felt like his thousandth kunai, Lee discovered what his problem was.

Miscalculation.

His real body was an entire foot taller than Matsuri's, so his angle of throwing was off by quite a few degrees. His arms were longer and fluid with motion, but with Matsuri's stiff limbs his accuracy was fuzzy. He had lean muscles to back up his flexibility, but Matsuri was too lanky for balance.

In short, Matsuri's body was as raw and fresh as a genin's. With all the attributes he once possessed, Lee's kunai throwing was mastery, but those qualities were gone now. He'd have to train. From. Scratch.

The sun was now licking the dry horizon and made the sky bleed orange and fuchsia. Lee was completely out of weapons and the only markings he made were way below the target area. He went over to the clay post and cleaned up his silver mess. He fixed up the pouch he owned, and the one Gaara lent to him.

No one was in the training field, not even the guard captain, Baki. He had left an hour ago, said he had to retire to his wife.

Lee sighed, but the sound that escaped him was a hoarse gasp.

He was dehydrated.

He swiftly turned around to leave, but a bottle was pressed into his chest just as he did so.

"You idiot…I left hours ago, and then went to your house, but your mom said you weren't back yet."

Lee gave a small smile. Amane was a very good friend for Matsuri to have.

"I am sorry." Lee took a long swig of his drink and gasped when he took a refreshed breath. The bottle popped back into shape when refilled with the oxygen it had lost. Amane blinked.

"Oh my god…I don't even know who you are anymore." She shook her head and laughed with a disbelieving air. "Whatever." She hooked an arm into Lee's and flashed a toothy smile at him, "Let's get you home, crazy."

They laughed the whole way back to Matsuri's house; about the heat and how if one's saliva dried up, they'd fry up in to sun like an old lizard.

* * *

The next morning Lee rose early, but before he could get out the door, Matsuri's mom was there in her sleeping robe, laughing about how determined her daughter was.

"It is an off day?"Lee scratched his head and then peaked out the dome shaped window in the foyer.

"Oh, yes." Matsuri's mom said, smiling. "You were never one to make use of it!"She laughs a hearty laugh. Lee smiled wide.

"Sorry, but today I must go!" Lee waved the mom off before she could say anything against his leaving to the Dunes. Yes.

The Dunes.

Lee was quite sure that Matsuri was not allowed to venture any farther than the training fields, but Lee was bent on training, and shallowly throwing kunai at clay stumps all day wasn't an exercise in Lee's book. He was going to make Matsuri Jonin material. Well…as close as he could get her to it anyway.

* * *

The Dunes weren't too far. The mounds of earth and sand made Lee smile. There were a few shinobi there, but not many. In Konoha, a lot of shinobi used their off days as rest days, so to see that the proud ninja of Sunakagure were the same, made Lee relax a little.

Finding a mound for himself wasn't hard to locate. He cupped his ear and listened as he walked toward the mound he wanted. Despite the wind carrying away sound, he could catch small grunts every now and then from other distant shinobi. Being a good six yards from another person, Lee commenced his training.

Lee struck a round-house kick to the mound's side, splaying a bit of sand from it. He would have smiled at his handiwork, but his whole leg was vibrating from the force of his kick. Rubbing a knee, Lee glared at the mound. They were solid like clay and as hot as the sand beneath his feet…

"I'll work on my hands then…"

Lee threw out ten punches with each arm, each vibrating into the mound when he made contact. The Dunes were packed solid from many storms and quakes, but they made excellent training posts, just like the trees in Konoha...

_64…67…71…75…_

"Hn…uhn…hughn!"

_Pack. Pack. Pack! _

At 93 punches with his left arm, Lee gripped his knees, huffing and puffing. He didn't remember training being so exhausting…even as a genin he was able to do a set of one hundred before getting tired.

"Heh."

Whipping his head around, Lee blinked.

There was a girl with long amber hair staring at him. With an arm crossed around her waist and a hand covering her mouth, her shoulders bounced slightly.

She was laughing at him.

Scratching an itchy elbow, Lee frowned.

"Um…yes?"

The girl shook her head at him, "Sorry…I couldn't help but find your effort humorous."

Without knowing any better, Lee smiled sheepishly, "Yes well…I have never been to the Dunes so…"

Giggling, the girl placed a hand on her hip, smirking.

"Well of course not. The Dunes are for _sparing_. If you had paid attention, everyone here has a partner to fight with."

Lee blushed, embarrassed.

"O-oh! I see…um…I guess I could ask someone…maybe Amane?" Lee murmured, thinking in whispers.

"Would you like to spare with me? I came without a sparing partner as well." The girl eagerly approached Lee despite the fact that he hadn't answered her question yet.

With an excited, "Really? Yes, yes of course!", Lee hopped away from his mound, and before he could get in ready position-

SWAP.

Sand whipped about him, curling and bouncing as he went skidding across the desert floor. He caught himself, hopping onto his feet, but was quickly on the defense as the girl sent flying kicks at his midsection. Lee was quick, throwing up his arms as shields to his lower body, grunting from the force of the girl's attacks…

"Uh…ah…ack!"

Snorting, "What's the matter, Matsuri? Weren't you prepared for the Dunes?" The girl sent another harsh kick, this time breaking Lee's defense and sending him rolling into a mound with a 'thunk'!

Was this really how Suna shinobi fought? He thought back to his genin days when he had fought Gaara for the first time. That guy was full of surprises…and remembering Kankuro and Temari in the preliminaries as well…they were quick with their offense and cruel with their strength. If that was the way Suna people were, then there was no need to hold back what he knew as a taijutsu specialist.

In the dust that their fight kicked up, Lee sprang from behind it with a shout. Unimpressed, the girl threw up her elbow, knocking Lee square in the chin.

Backing away with clumsy feet, Lee wiped his mouth clean of blood.

"…"

Sweeping a stray hair off her shoulder, the girl crossed her arms, smirking.

"Perhaps I should leave you alone now? I don't want our Kazekage getting mad if you go into another coma."

Despite being sore, Lee took a firm step forward. He smiled, "No. Fight me. This is the most fun I've had all week!" Rushing toward the girl, he dodged her punch by dropping into a crouch and with a quick jut, fanned his legs out beneath her, knocking her off balance. Flailing her arms around, the girl fell flat on her bottom. He successfully tripped her. Lee celebrated the blow with a silent 'Yes!' His Konoha Whirlwind always did him justice.

The girl whipped her head up, but Lee was too fast. His leg was already coming down like an axe onto her shoulders. The girl went down with a bounce before settling onto the sand with a small groan. Lee took a moment to wind his shoulder back, popping it back into place…This girl fought hard!

With a kind smile, Lee approached his partner.

"Ah! You're good!" Cheerful, Lee crouched down and smiled at the groaning girl. She was a really determined shinobi…he wondered what her rank was. He gave his hand to her in good spirit.

"Here, let me hel-"

SWACK.

Staring at the girl, Lee wasn't sure what he'd done wrong.

Stray amber hair was about her forehead and her cheeks were ruddy. A curled brow, narrowed eyes, and a gritted mouth…Her expression was one of anger.

"I don't need a hand from you. You were just lucky!" And with that, the girl was on her feet, then quickly, was a whirl of sand.

Blinking, Lee was alone with his mound once again.

Sitting cross-legged, Lee frowned at the hand he offered the girl.

"She did not have to slap it away…" He rubbed it with his other hand, confused. He stared at the sand whipping across the flooring…The wind was picking up. After a moment of thinking, he stood. Strapping on his yellow goggles, he headed back to his home.

Again.

He forgot to bring water.

* * *

**AN: **Writing action is fun, but it is totally not my forte. Anyway, I was going through some old notebooks of mine from high school, and I found one with a few random skits for _Cardioid_, and I was like 'These are good...why are they _so_ good? Maybe I should update so that I can include these skits!' so I did that. I guess the secret to continually write stories, is to write on different one's when you're having an art block :0!

And yeah...sorry that's it been-idon'tevenknowhowlong-since I last updated otz. But~I do like this story, although other's may argue that it's crap. I just can't put it away ;o;~! Anyway~Chapter 2 you guys!

~_Ciao_~


	3. Mat

**Mat**

He was having the worst pain of his life. And no, he didn't have a broken arm or leg, but the sharp aches in his lower region was killing him. He asked his mom about it, and she offered him a Midol and some toast. Cramps. Period cramps. Lee never really understood Tenten's temper at times, but now he knew why. Sighing, he smiled. He appreciated Tenten more than ever now. If she could go to practice every day, even _with _cramps, then he would too.

* * *

Again, it was another hot day, and yet again, the girls looked…not so dressed up. Even though Lee was a guy with desires, the girls around him weren't affecting him in any way. Maybe it was because he too was a girl? Or maybe it was his period giving him mood swings? Meh. He didn't really care to know. All that mattered to him was to get strong and fast!

Amane was waving at him from across the field with a frown. Was she upset? He waved back a little weakly since his arm was sore. When he had gotten home last afternoon, he was surprised that he wasn't beat too bad. A bloody lip and a bruised arm…not too terrible. They were easy injuries to hide, but still…

"Oh…oh…" Lee brought his arm down and rubbed it and let out a relieved, 'Ahh.'

The guard captain appeared before him in a cloud of sand. Lee was handed a pack of throwing knifes… Mentally, he sighed.

"Kazekage-sama said to-"

"I know. Practice."

Making his way to the target area, Lee couldn't help but huff and puff obnoxiously. He hated being treated like a genin.

Toss.

Miss.

Throw.

Miss.

"…."

Lee paused for a good minute before flailing his arms around in a childish tantrum.

"Ughn!" He grunted.

Some giggles were aimed at him, and he frowned at the other kunoichi's poking fun at him. He stared at them. What was this? The academy?

"Ignore them," turning around, Lee was face to face with Amane.

"They can't hit their targets either." She smirked back at the other girls, who in response, looked away nervously.

Seeing the interaction between the laughing girls and Amane, Lee's mouth dropped, "Wow…how did you do that?"

"It's something called, 'intimidation', Matsuri…" Amane paused. She was looking him hard in the face with her blue stare. A little unsettled, Lee shifted his feet and pivoted. He had to practice.

"Hey…I need to talk to you."

Lee, a little worried, cracked a smile, "Okay. At lunc-"

"Now."

Lee's neck sunk into his jacket like a turtle in its shell…

Amane was starting to scare him. Not 'scary' as in Sakura or Tenten scary. Amane's 'scary' was strange to him.

Following after the girl, Lee wiped sweat from his brow as they traveled away from the training field, but not too far. When Lee was hardly able to make out the grunts and figures of students, Amane stopped walking. She pivoted around and crossed her arms. She was staring at him again. For almost a whole minute, they exchanged no words. Shifting his feet around, Lee squirmed under her attention. Something about her stare was undoing his resolve…maybe it was because she was half a foot taller than Matsuri's body, or maybe it was the color of blue in her stare…Jesus. Whatever it was, he _really_ wanted her to stop.

"I've been thinking about it."

Lee blinked.

"What?"

"The Mind Swap thing…I just laughed off the possibility because, I mean, it's just _so _crazy, you know? Having your friend _not _be your friend anymore but still look the same. I was distracted from the truth because you're Matsuri, but this past week…I thought about it."

Lee swallowed. He took a step back.

"Amane…I really need to train right now so-"

"See? That's what's so strange about you. You've never said that, ever, but now-ever since that day-I just feel _stupid _for trusting your word. You're a shinobi aren't you? If you used the Mind Swap and aren't yourself…why would you keep it a secret?"

Confused and a little intimidated, Lee scratched his throbbing arm.

"Look, I do not know what you are saying. If I stay here and do not do what my sen-"

One quick motion and Lee was in Amane's hold. She had her fingers in his shoulders, gripping the life out of him. She was glaring him in the eyes.

"Tell me the truth."

"…."

"You're not Matsuri…are you."

Opening his mouth to say something…he shut it. He had no response. Even though he could have said, 'I did not use the Mind Swap. I _am_ Matsuri', it hadn't crossed his mind until now, but it would be dumb to try to convince Amane of his false identity after pausing like he did. As his rebuttal, he chose to look away.

"…!"

Amane shook him hard by the shoulders once, and then stilled him again.

"I-I knew it! I knew it! Oh…shit!" She let go of Lee abruptly and shook her head. Crossing her arms, she laughed.

"This is…_ridiculous_. Matsuri's biggest screw up!"

Lee brought his eyebrows together, offended. Who laughs at something that messed up? Just because Matsuri made a big mistake doesn't mean she should be laughed at…

"What?"

Amane kept laughing, she even slapped her knee.

"What is so funny? Do you even know what this means for _me_? For Matsuri?"

Wiping away a tear, Amane snorted.

"What? Six months of being Matsuri and vice versa?"

Frowning, Lee clenched his fists.

"No. Matsuri is in my body, recovering from the injuries I took."

The laughing paused.

"hah…ha…..what's that mean."

"She is bed ridden."

Amane stared at him. And then she grunted.

"What? You mean she's going to die in your body or something?"

Lee threw his hands up, ducking and evading Amane's swinging arms.

"No no! She is just injured! She probably has not woken up yet! Please stop attacking me!"

Pausing, Amane stopped. Lee, after seeing Amane put her hands down, let out a breath.

And then there was pain. It was sharp and quick, but nonetheless, _really_ hurt.

"!" Lee's mouth was an 'O', and his hands were gripped in his chest.

"Why would you _do _that! Ohhh….!" Lee massaged the area Amane made sore.

Amane shook out the fist she punched Lee with.

"…Jerk."

Groaning pitifully, he reminded himself of Tenten. Kami was she a hardworking team member.

"I only hit you where it hurts."

"My…her…_that_?"

Amane brushed away the tail of her braid from her shoulder and snorted, "I know it's not your fault for being in her body, but…how could you _not _contact someone from your nation about the situation?"

He couldn't believe he was being lectured by a lower ranked shinobi. Even though she was right, there were many reasons as to why he couldn't speak of his mission. There were classified reasons…governmental reasons…and Jonin privileged reasons…There were too many reasons as to _why _he couldn't speak about it, but he needed to tell Amane something. The girl was not stupid, and she wasn't very nice. He swallowed his pain and spoke.

"Please understand…what Matsuri did, the Mind Swap, is forbidden in my country as well as this one."

Amane smacked her lips, "So? It's always been forbidden here, but the elder healers taught it to medics as a last resort. Why is that even a reason?"

Lee frowned. He stood up straight and looked Amane in the eyes.

"Sunakagure may be lenient of the Mind Swap jutsu since it hails from this land, but if I were to take myself to my nation as I am, my condition would be proof enough to have Matsuri confided to interrogation for the usage of forbidden arts."

Finally silencing herself, Amane shook her head.

"…that's not fair."

"It is the law of my country. But I will not take myself back until the jutsu reverses its effects."

Looking up at him, Amane frowned, "But-the reversal takes six months…you're really going to stick your neck out for her…even though you don't _know _her?"

With a smile, Lee nodded.

"She saved my life, I owe her."

Staring at him, Amane opened her mouth to say something, but didn't. She kept her mouth a line. And then she spoke.

"Well. Shit."

He blinked.

That was not what he had expected her to say.

"I can't believe this."

Lee quirked his head. What was she talking about?

"You turned out to be this awesome person, and now my resolves for having punched you in the tit makes me feel like crap."

Oh.

Lee shook his head fast.

"No no, it's…okay. I think." Lee pressed the sore boob and winced. So maybe it wasn't okay, but he couldn't let Amane feel bad about everything. Even though he couldn't halfway believe her use of language, he felt like he owed her. She was the first person he'd been able to tell about his situation. The weight on his shoulders had been lifted, if by some degrees. He felt as though he could confide in her like a true friend. In a way, she was almost like another Tenten. Lee mentally smiled at that.

Amane looked down at her feet, then the training ground, then at Lee.

"So…do I still call you Matsuri?"

"Well-"

"Scratch that. What I really want to know is if you're a boy or a girl."

"That-"

"Should I call you Mat?"

"Look-"

"I think I'll call you Mat."

"Stop! All of that is irrelevant to the problem. We need to start training ASAP."

"Now that I think about it…only boys think about training hard."

Lee stared at her for a long moment.

As much as he liked Amane, something about Genin and Chunin ranked shinobi lacked when compared to Jonin…Even though Lee was nineteen, he couldn't help but feel like there was some kind of space in his and Amane's age. He wasn't sure what was missing between them, but whatever it was…the gap was large. Maybe it was maturity…

"I am heading back to the training grounds."

"…Mat?"

She was really going to call him that? As a response, he gave her a look.

Amane crossed her arms smugly.

"Do you _really _want to go back to the field _just _to throw beginner tools?"

"…"

"They're going to laugh at you, you know."

Even though Lee was beyond their level of maturity, he was still bothered about being a laughing stock. It was like the academy all over again. He placed a hand on his shoulder and rolled his neck to get the kink out. Thinking about it…he really didn't like the training field. It made him feel small and young like he had been so many years ago, but…

"How else am I supposed to train my aim?"

And with that, Amane smiled. Lee didn't like the look of it…it seemed wicked.

"Maybe you need a moving target."

* * *

Returning home, Lee was full of smiles. Amane had been right! It was much more fun to aim and move at the same time. Even though Matsuri's legs weren't at the speed of his own, he was able to keep up with Amane.

He never hit the girl, but the fact that he had gotten close made him happy. He even discovered Matsuri's advantage in battle; it was her short height and speed. Even though she wasn't fast, it gave him enough leeway to watch his surroundings and build his defense. She was more of a defense shinobi rather than an offense. And her height! She was a few inches shorter than most girls on the field, Amane included, and thus, ducking and evading came as an advantage over opponents, especially when they had to aim their weapons and fists downwards.

Learning all these new things was fun. Maybe now…

Lee quickly threw his hand out in front of him, tossing plastic ware at his bed and mirror, pretending that they were kunai and such…Oh! He couldn't wait to train tomorrow-in fact-he was so hyped, he was going to train right now!

Keeping on his clothes from earlier, Lee went to his backyard with the huge oak tree standing in the corner... He walked up to the giant woodwork and gave its rough surface a pat.

Smiling at it, Lee slid his fingers along the bark.

"Strange…you are the one thing that reminds me of home. And…it is funny. A tree in Suna?" Lee couldn't help but chuckle at that. He couldn't help but think that this 'Mind Swap' thing was meant to happen. Maybe he just needed to reflect on all he took for granted…

Ah…there it was. The homesickness. Goodness, he really missed Konoha and...

He shook his head, clearing away the greenery of his nation.

No.

No reminiscing.

He had to focus.

Making sure his gloves were strapped on tight, he grabbed at his weapon pouch. Pulling out a sharp kunai, he cut an inch sized 'x' into the bark. Placing himself at two yards away, he threw a kunai. It sped through the air and stuck itself a foot below the 'x'. Lee couldn't help but smile. Just two days ago he couldn't hit a clay stump. Whipping his hand back again, he threw a shuriken, this time planting it a few inches under the mark.

Getting excited, he backed up a few more steps…and then a few more…

All afternoon, Lee practiced, and by the time he retired for bed, he had exhausted his entire weapon pouch, half of them in the ground, and the other half in the tree…two especially, were planted on either side of the 'x'

A kunai, and a shuriken…

He was making progress, surely, but slowly.

* * *

**AN: **Annnnddd~~~I'm making progress. Gosh. I have so many ideas that are coming alive in this fic, it's not even funny. To assure people, yes, there is some GaaMatsu in here, but eventually you'll see the GaaLee. I'm trying to prove a point, but I won't say anything unless asked~anyway! Chapter 3, and yes. The title is strange, but I thought it'd be funny to name it what Amane wants to call Lee (hahaha).

P.S. Things don't stay this boring and routine forever. I mean-Lee isn't going to be at the training field all the time~expect altercations, jealously, some girl vs boy rivalry, and...romance :]! So much drama guys. You don't even know it yet.

_~Ciao~_


	4. Whispers

**Chapter 4:**

**Whispers**

-[]-[]-[]-

He dragged his feet around, and when Matsuri's mom inquired about his mood, he groaned an annoyed, 'I'm bored.' To which she replied, 'Then could you fold the laundry? And sweep the study? Oh! And straighten the pillows and rugs?' Lee looked at her with pitiful guilt. He had already done those things. Twice. And to top it off, he had taken a second shower—to which Matsuri's mom fussed about. Something about Suna's water supply being limited—and each house having a 'clamp' on their usage.

Throwing himself on the sofa face first, he sighed loudly. He was supposed to be training, but said training was postponed due to a severe heat wave.

It had been a week of no practice. Lee groaned at nothing as he melted into the loveseat's cushions—hot and thirsty.

…_s…s…_

Lee blinked. Then sat up in his seat.

…_s…rr…y_

Pensively, he strained his ears to listen to the soft sound…but after a few minutes of waiting, nothing happened.

Ruffling his hair with agitation, he huffed tiredly.

Maybe he was losing his mind.

* * *

When he answered the door, he hadn't expected to see Amane with scrolls in her arms. Her snow skin was tanned from the scorched weather, and he figured she had sprinted to the house because her breathing was hard.

If it wasn't for that mischievous smile on her face, he would have been concerned about her health.

She shoved the scrolls into his clumsy arms as she walked past him and into the house.

* * *

"Study?" came Lee's response. "Study what?"

After having downed a bottle of water, she grinned.

"You're not Matsuri—I get that. But if you want to keep up your charade, you'll have to learn what she knew."

Lee gave an understanding nod, but then he frowned. He had hoped the scrolls were martial art forms…but he noticed the green stripes at each end. He had only been taught the red scrolls, for they were forms of taijutsu, but the blue and green ones? He was never allowed to read them.

Amane unrolled one, and as Lee scanned the notes and images, he held his chin for one second…before dropping his head.

The scripts and drawings were completely alien to him.

"What's that reaction for? Don't you know how to read ninjutsu?" Amane laughed. Lee pressed his hands into his cheeks and moaned lowly—alarming Amane.

"Are you like…seriously illiterate?"

"Well…something like that."

Amane rolled her eyes, "You're just being lazy. No one wants to read, but you have to! For 'faking sake'."

Reluctantly, Lee lifted up a scroll and skimmed the instructions.

_Focus your chi to your inner core—contain it until you feel warmth in your finger tips—Make the following hand signs Monkey, Snake, Tiger. Repeat three times—this process will help your chi loosen itself into a state of chakra, ready to be manipulated and extracted from_

"I don't understand any of this."

Amane stared at him for a time, and when Lee noticed, he let his chin sink between his shoulders.

"I'm not stupid if that's what you were wondering."

Silence.

Amane sat up.

"Alright."

Then slapped her hands once on her knees.

"Alright! We'll try something else then."

She took a kunai out of her pouch and took a deep breath. Then sliced open her finger. Lee jumped.

"The cut is paper thin, don't worry." Her finger was starting to drip, but she smiled with a wince.

"If you can't learn visually—the physical approach is the next best step. Now…" she put up one hand and made three hand signs—fast! Lee marveled at the cut…it was closing! Amane wiped the remaining blood off her finger with a handkerchief before sighing in relief. She took one look at Lee. He was baffled, and she laughed.

"Wait! I didn't—you didn't—where was the chakra?"

Laughingly, Amane waved him off, "It was practically a paper bite. It doesn't take a surge of chakra to heal. Just a pinch's worth."

Lee nodded slowly. It was his first time seeing it close up—healing arts that is. He was usually borderline passing out—or passed out—by the time a healing ninja got to his injuries.

"It's amazing…" Lee looked down at his hands, and for the first time didn't narrow at their thinness. They were healing arms. Matsuri was able to use ninjitsu. That gave her a bunch of points in his book.

He made his hands into fists, "Okay. What do I have to do to achieve that?"

"First" Amane picked up her kunai and bit her lip. Then cut Lee's middle finger. He yelped in surprise.

"If you can't apply medical attention to yourself—don't even think about trying it on others. Now. Make the three hand signs…faster than that Mat. Good."

For a moment there was a pulse—deeper than his blood. Lee jumped. A spark…

Like static.

Amane clapped, "Did you feel it?"

"Yeah…yeah I did!" Lee smiled wide…but then frowned. His finger was still dripping.

"It's still bleeding…" He gave Amane a blaming look. _Paper thin my ass._

With a hand on her hip, she shook her head, "Aim the chakra in the right location." Lee tried again, but the spark jolted his entire arm. He threw his head forward and cradled his arm.

"Yaow!"

"Too much chakra! Just a pinch worth. Try again."

Again. A shooting pain of electricity.

Again.

And again.

Lee was practically in tears—not from the pain—but from the frustration. Amane sighed.

"It's _just _a paper cut." she rolled her eyes. Lee said nothing.

"Hey…do you know why medic ninjas have to study diagrams of the body?"

He glared at her. Of course he didn't!

"Chakra travels through the body—like a network of lines. Controlling where it flows—how much to apply—how thin or thick. We have to know the blood vessels, ligaments, arteries…it helps us visualize where to flow our out of control energy."

"You don't say…at least it's life saving." Lee huffed—sarcastic as he glared down at his still bleeding finger.

Amane closed her eyes.

"Don't get it confused. Medic ninja aren't miracle workers. At most, we can suppress bleeding or hold ligaments together—a day at most. It's all just a way to save time for an injured shinobi to make it to a real hospital." She opened her eyes and looked at Lee.

"But that Hokage of yours…she can stop internal bleeding. Do you know how many blood vessels—veins—muscle cavities—she'd have to stop from hemorrhaging to achieve that? Do you know how much _chakra_ she'd have to use to do that? It's insane!" She sighed dramatically and added, "It's geniuses like that who give our sensei's a new idea of training! As if training wasn't hard before!"

Lee blinked at her, and then at his hand.

After that rant, Lee was starting to see his dilemma for what it really was. It literally was a small paper cut. A itty bitty scratch that was pissing him off.

He didn't even want to think about stopping internal bleeding. Silently, he took a moment to thank the entire staff of grumpy medic ninja's who ever had to deal with his bodily abuses.

"Alright…let's try this again."

* * *

In the end he never quite got it.

"But it closed halfway!" he argued.

After having exhausted most of his chakra, he finally managed to get to the cut. The chakra-thin spark had traveled down his neck, into his arm, and spiraled inside his palm…and just as soon as he'd felt the cut closing…the spark had thinned before tapping out, leaving him with an odd sense of pride and shame.

Amane had fallen asleep, but when awoken by Lee's proud howl, she had been excited at first…until she saw the half-closed result.

"It only took you two hours…but at least you managed something?" was her comment before she left.

She could call it whatever she wanted, because for a guy who wasn't born with ninjutsu ability? He rated himself a first class user! With a dance of victory, he smacked his toe into the leg of the sofa. He had to hop on one foot for the rest of the evening.

* * *

**Author Note:**

**Hey guys! Just wanted to say I never really knew where I was going in this plot-I only knew A to C, not A B to C. But I wrote out a little plot to keep myself in check with events! Later!**


	5. Rejected

**Chapter 5:**

**Rejected**

-[]-[]-[]-

"..!"

The squad guard that Gaara instructed to overlook Lee's training was holding his chin. With a slow nod, he gave an impressed frown.

"This is a…greatly improved you, Matsuri. You've hit every mark on the clay post…not all in the bulls-eye, but none are on the floor." He took away the weapon's pouch Gaara gave to Lee a month ago. "I didn't think you'd improve this quickly…but I think you're ready for the Dunes."

Lee, at first, was silent. Then a grin stretched his face. Glee! He looked to the other trainees who used to giggle when he missed his target. They tried their best to ignore him, but he kept smirking at them until they decided to move to another post—they had grown uncomfortable from his superior attitude.

"Do I go right now?"

The squad guard shook his head.

"Wait until evening sets. It will be a little colder, and the sun will have shifted elsewhere."

Nodding at that, Lee saluted curtly before racing over to Amane's side. She was drinking water with a blank face. Scooting next to her on the sand, Lee couldn't stop grinning.

"Guess what? I just graduated to the Dunes! We could spar. Today. At evening. You know…if you wanted?" Lee really wanted her to say 'Okay', but all he got was a, "Uh-huh."

Lee quirked his brow at her, but then he noticed the dullness of her eyes.

"Hey…are you sick?"

She blinked. Looked at Lee. And blinked again—this time with recognition.

"Mat..." She held her forehead and looked at her knees with worried eyes.

"Can I ask you something?"

Lee nodded.

"What's it like in Konoha? That's where you're from right? I've never been…"

"It's…green. Windy too. Rains and snows…sometimes the weather is inconvenient, but its fair most of the time."

"And the food?"

"Delicious…"

"And the rations?"

"Plentiful…"

For a moment they sat silently. Lee in reminiscence and Amane in imagination.

"Must be a good place to die then."

Slowly, Lee agreed with a nod.

"Okay. That's all I needed to know. Thanks Mat." Abruptly, Amane stood up from her sitting position. With a curt nod, she winked—shifted into a whirl of sand and dispersed.

Lee was left in the dust. Literally. He rubbed his eyes of sand as he fussed to no one in particularly.

* * *

Evening had fallen and Amane wasn't back yet from…wherever it was she went. But it didn't bother Lee any. With or without her, he was going to the Dunes!

* * *

Goggles?

Check!

Water?

Check!

Gloves?

Check!

_All set to go! _

The vibration from his first punch at the dirt mound tingled. A familiar pain he had missed.

He switched up his hands—jabs, uppercuts, side swings, position change-!

_64…76…82…91… _

"A hundred!" Lee breathed. His first set of a hundred in Matsuri's body. It felt like the first time he'd ever accomplished a task. He was ecstatic.

"Legs..!" And with a round house kick, his shin connected with the clay mound—but the impact wasn't as strong as with his arms… He mentally nodded. Matsuri was a healing ninja. She worked with her hands more than her legs. _Of course…_ Another boundary he was going to have to jump.

No problem.

Front kick, side kick, jump kick

_42…56…67…72…_

At 75 he cramped up.

He let out his frustration with three quick knee bashes before shifting to his other leg.

"Well…look at that. My brother said you were working hard—but I'll be damned!"

Lee jumped, ran behind the post for cover and then peeked out from behind it.

"…Kankuro?"

The man nodded, and as he approached, another male shinobi Lee didn't recognize appeared behind the puppeteer. He threw a thumb over his shoulder with a wide grin.

"This here? My sparring buddy. Gotta have a few of those you know? Some can't make it other days, sometimes weekends…I have enough partners for the whole week."

Lee let down his guard and smiled brightly.

"I see…and were you training here too? I didn't feel any chakra spikes."

Kankuro shook his head, "Nah. I came to check on the trainees. I've been hearing about some unfair activity going on so…" He shrugged, "Bullying has been reported."

Lee stood uncomfortably behind the mound he was partially hiding behind. Some weeks ago he sparred against a girl in the Dunes when he shouldn't have been there. Only a few nights ago did he realize that he was being made fun of.

"I'm still kind of surprised." Came Kankuro's boyish words.

"Just a month ago you were this shy little thing hiding from training-slacking off completely. But here you are…training like a mad man. I don't care about why you turned your attitude around, but I do want to know 'how'. I need to drill my students and turn them into you."

With a slow shrug and sheepish smile Lee mumbled a, "Visual training?"

Kankuro put his hands on his hips and smirked.

"You medic ninja's have a really good memory right? I guess visual training isn't impossible. Hell. You're here! So of course it ain't."

Lee wasn't sure if that was a compliment or an insult, but he knew that Kankuro was bull-necked and belligerent. According to his memory from his first preliminaries, the man in front of him had been smug and violent. _He broke that whole kid's body with his puppet's hug…_

Part of Lee knew to fear Kankuro, but in good spirits. The man was different now.

_If the power of a man can make you wary, then no matter what a man has done, you respect his ability and strength. _

Reciting Gai's words in his head, Lee took a breath before stepping out from behind the clay mound and bowed formally.

Kankuro was silent at the gesture, but quickly enough he scratched his neck with a, "Hey now, that's embarrassing! I'm just my baby brother's body guard. None of that formal crap, understand? Stand up, please."

Lee did so, but he looked Kankuro squarely in the eyes.

"Kankuro?"

The man frowned, his face a question mark.

"Yeah?"

Inhaling deeply, Lee rushed at Kankuro without warning.

* * *

He sighed as he put an ice pack to the back of his neck. He was so disappointed in himself.

_I was just itching for a fight…and got flipped over and knocked out before it could even start. _

He threw his ice pack upward with an agitated growl, but when he heard Matsuri's mom giggle in the background, he whipped his head at her—embarrassed.

She didn't ask him what happened and offered him some tea, but he refused. She glared at him, "You take this tea, Matsuri. You've been moping around, and the last thing I need is a grumpy daughter on her menstrual."

Lee turned bright red, "No! I'm not, I swear I'm not on…the cycle." He stuttered. Matsuri's mom was still looking at him in a way he'd never been looked at before.

_Right through me_

Apparently, this was the look in a mother's eyes—and they were not to be denied.

"I'll take the tea.…thank you." and when he cupped the glass with both his hands, he felt the chill of the ice pack he'd thrown sit behind his neck again. She put a small quilt over his legs and put a worried hand on his shoulder. She sighed softly.

"Your skin is browning…are you applying a screen of chakra like I told you?"

Lee blinked. _Like sunscreen? _And just like that, he learned something new.

"I forgot…I'll start doing it tomorrow."

Matsuri's mom shook her head.

"Aren't you growing up? Be more responsible!"

_Yeesh_

The woman squinted her eyes, the crows feet tightening up around the edges.

Then she stood up right, walked into her bedroom, and then emerged in her doorway with a pair of wide shorts that looked durable.

"I was never any good at sparring…but on the rare occasion that I did—I liked the thick feel of this fabric…I was bigger than you back then—but you know, since you're trying so hard…" she shrugged, "Want to try them?"

Lee knew a "No thank you" wouldn't be tolerated. He nodded politely and took the hand-me-down shorts. They were long…more so out to the sides. Strange. He pulled the material over his pajama clad legs and fastened the short's snaps at his waist. Putting his hands on his hips he took a stroll in the living area and then the kitchen.

_Comfy..!_

"How are they?"

Lee smiled really wide, jogging about now.

"I thought I liked my cotton scrub pants…but they stick to me when I sweat and blow around in the wind when the sand gets to whipping. These shorts are big in leg room, and stay stiff at the sides. Perfect for running!"

Matsuri's mom smiled proudly, "Oh? I tried giving these to you months ago but you said they sat too high up 'on your stomach' and that they were out dated. Are you going to wear them tomorrow?"

"And the days after that." He assured.

Matsuri's mom blushed, pleased at what she was hearing no doubt.

"Alright then…remember to wear stockings under them—and wear something that covers your neck—oh! And don't forget to screen your chakra over your skin."

Again, Lee was nodding rapid-fire—as if he were checking off a written list.

Matsuri's mom went off to bed, leaving Lee to prepare for the next day.

As he was looking in Matsuri's closet for an appropriate top, he couldn't help but feel a bit grateful for the switch. He'd never had parents. It was kind of nice. Really nice actually.

Mentally, he thanked Matsuri.

_...y…r…_

He paused.

A small sound

_w…l...me._

He froze, straining his ears. But the sound did not return.

Groping his head, he could feel a light sweat starting.

That night, he didn't get much sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Take that writer's block! Anyway, couldn't resist giving Lee an experience with a parent since he's an orphan XD. And Amane is soon to have some good news XD. Ciao!**


	6. Selection

**Chapter 6**

**Selection**

-[]-[]-[]-

Another week of training passed in a flash.

Aside from practicing his form during the day and sparring alone at the Dunes in the evening…he noticed the students.

The students of other sensei's on the training grounds were talking enthusiastically—training even harder than before. Their efforts weren't done with enjoyment or perseverance though. These students were being driven by something else—almost like…if they didn't train seriously enough, they'd be sorry.

Sorry for what?

What did a bunch of academy graduates need to fear so early on?

During the training grounds, Lee was alone—even at the Dunes. He didn't trust anyone other than Amane to train with, but lately she'd been refusing his offers with, "Sorry Mat. I'm doing some team training…"

Lee was worried. In his peripheral vision, he noticed Amane talking to two other boys—her squad members presumably.

Even though they were always discussing something, Amane seemed agitated and worried, whereas the boys were excited and aggressive about the subject.

At the end of morning training, Lee would ask Amane if she was okay, but she would always tell him not to worry about it.

* * *

Another week flew by.

Lee smiled. His arms and legs were toned—not big or bulky—but the muscles were defiantly present. Kicking the mounds didn't hurt anymore, and he was able to do sets of one hundred on each limb now.

Lately he'd been practicing running—building speed, practicing breathing techniques, and working on his stamina.

Things were finally working in his favor. But as he worked Matsuri's body, he realized that she had her limits.

The best Matsuri's body could be was quickly peaking... and Lee didn't mind it. He was doing what he promised, and that was all.

At best, Matsuri's body could only equate to ¼ Lee's.

In the end, she was a medic ninja—and if she ever needed to defend herself she could buy herself time to escape successfully—maybe even do some minor damage to an opponent before racing away.

Lee smiled.

Matsuri had an Ace now.

* * *

"What…"

Holding the little slip Amane had given him, Lee was baffled.

Offended actually.

"What is this?" He asked—even though he knew exactly what it was.

"Aren't you proud of me?" She cooed, scratching her cheek.

"Matsuri skipped going for the past two years. And so did I…but I've always let my teammates down when I rejected the form. You know the rules," she sighed and grabbed her arm, "If one squad member says 'No' the invitation of all three becomes invalid."

"How come I didn't know this was going on?" Lee said—yelled actually.

Amane furrowed her brow.

"Didn't your sensei tell you? They're the ones that register the squads…and since you don't have one, it'd just be you saying 'Yes' or 'No' to the slip." She took her paper back and gave Lee a worried look.

"I'm sorry for leaving you in the dark…I thought you knew about this. But! I thought you'd talk me out of going…and I couldn't let Giam and Riddick down a third time."

She waved him off before joining her two squad members on the other side of the field, leaving a stunned Lee behind.

He clenched his fists before storming off the field.

There was only one day left to register.

* * *

Gaara blinked, still chewing on the fact that his student kicked open his office door and had hit two of his bodyguards to get in.

"Register me for the Chuunin Exams."

The Kazekage's eyes never looked so wide—if only by a fraction—but his usual narrowed look was…well. Less narrow.

"There's only one day left!"Lee pleaded.

Gaara, however, had regained his casual-borderline-stoic look and quietly stacked his office papers.

"No." he responded.

Lee, baffled, opened his mouth and then shut it. He placed a hand on the side of his head and narrowed his eyes.

"But…why not? I want to go!"

Gaara gave Lee a look that probably meant his tolerance was being tested.

"You're not ready."

A minutely silence followed—and in that minute, Lee had to hold himself back from knocking the Kazekage's papers off the desk and yelling.

Lee frowned.

"So what? Can't you let me attend just to fail? I just want the experience. I've been working really hard!"

Gaara glared at him. The kind of glare that went right through the body.

"Your sudden change…I don't know if it came from puberty or influence—but you've become rash and arrogant. Even if you've trained, you haven't tackled that new intimidating attitude of yours. You are a one-man squad. That's already a problem. If you can't make allies during the first hour of the exams, you won't be walking out." Gaara crossed his fingers, "Matsuri…do you understand what I'm telling you?"

Lee was silent.

He couldn't believe Gaara had such little faith in his only student.

"You really don't think I can do it?"

"…"

"Then why are you a leader if you can't take risks?"

Gaara stood.

"Matsu-"

Lee didn't hear the rest of Gaara's words for he had slammed the door when he stormed out.

* * *

Without mercy, he was attacking the Dune mounds with his fists and legs—practically scaring nearby trainees with the ferocity of his hits.

_Damn it_

He cracked a bit of the mound with his side kick before he was tapped out of energy.

_Damn it!_

When his body went limp, he lazily let his forehead lean against the abused mound.

"I'm so stupid…"

"Hey there, kid."

Without hiding this time, Lee looked over his shoulder—scraping his forehead against the mound as he did so.

"Uh?"

_Yeah?_

The man blinked, and then laughed warmly.

"In the dumps there, Matsuri?"

"Uh."

_Yeah._

"If I ask why, are you going to run at me again?"

"Uh…"

_No_…

Kankuro leaned against one of the mounds opposite Lee's and frowned.

"Alright then. What's up."

"Your brother is stupid."

Kankuro blinked. Then laughed even louder.

"I'm even stupider than him."

Kankuro was still laughing.

"A love quarrel?" He breathed.

Lee whipped his head around, his face felt like it was on fire.

"What! Why does everyone keep teasing—No! He's dumb!"

"Alright, alright…I get it." he put his hands up, but his smirk told Lee that Kankuro did 'not' get it.

Lee faced Kankuro, and for a moment, could only glare.

"Did you register your students for the Chuunin Exams?"

Proudly, Kankuro smirked.

"Sure did. They're going to ace it."

"…"

"..?"

"I don't want to talk to you anymore."

"Hey—! Don't walk off! Hey!"

"I can't go."

Lee stood still for a minute. Then faced Kankuro again.

"I want to go. But he won't let me."

Kankuro looked at Lee—serious.

"You hate him?"

Lee crossed his arms. After a pause, he mumbled, "Just angry."

Kankuro scratched the back of his neck.

"My brother is just worried. He does things like this all the time—he won't even let me go on A rank missions if my sister's not accompanying me."

A smile betrayed Lee's face, but quickly, he put on his angry face. He would not be swayed out of his mood.

"Do you care if you pass?"

Lee shook his head fast.

"I just want to see how well I fair, you know?"

Kankuro smiled.

"Well…we'll see."

"…Uh! You're leaving?"

Kankuro shouldered his bandaged up puppet.

"Yep. I was passing through on a patrol check."

Lee looked at the sky and immediately felt embarrassed. Evening had turned into night under his nose, and Kankuro was going to be late reporting back.

When Lee looked up to apologize, Kankuro was a spot that was quickly dimming in the sandy distance.

Lee sat silently as he watched Kankuro disappear. For moments more, Lee assessed his situation—but no matter how he looked at it, he was being ignored. Dismissed by Gaara for acting like a child, and dismissed by Kankuro because he was busy.

Not wanting to dwell in his pity any longer, Lee packed up and left.

All he could do now was cheer Amane on from the sidelines.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**ALRIGHT. I think I'm going to leave this story here for a while. I have a plot written for 3 more chapters before I can wrap it up in a final chapter, but I have another story I have to finish (2 chapters left for Forget Me Not!) and so...enjoy this strange upload! BYE!**


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